Evidence for Reaction-induced Microfracturing in Granulite Facies Migmatites

G.R. Watt, N.H.S. Oliver, Brendan Griffin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Water-undersaturated partial melting at granulite facies conditions, followed by accumulation and upward migration of the resulting granitic melt, is one of the principle causes of crustal differentiation. Microfracturing caused by small, positive volume changes associated with water-undersaturated melting reactions may facilitate rapid extraction of melts from melting sites. We have successfully imaged annealed microfractures in residual quartz from three granulite facies migmatites. Annealed microfractures have been discovered in (1) quartz inclusions in peritectic garnet; (2) quartz inclusions in K-feldspar; and (3) quartz occurring as entrained grains. In the latter, oscillatory zoned quartz has overgrown fractures in the residual core, indicating that fracturing occurred prior to melt crystallization and that postanatectic volume changes are not responsible for the observed fracturing. Fractures are generally
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)327-330
JournalGeology
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2000

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